Card-support.



Nb. 840,459. PATENTBD JAN. 1, 1907.

H. J. PHIL CARD SUP IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 15I 1906.

ll/lztnesses: f Inventor:

To all whom it may concern:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY J. PHILLIPS, OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO PARKER BROTHERS, INCORPORATED, OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPO- RATION OF MAINE.

CARD-SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 1, 1907.

Application filed June15,1906. Serial No. 321.895.

Be it known that I, HENRY J. PnILLrPs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sa- 1cm, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Im rovement in Card-Supports, of which the fo owing description, in connection with the accompany ing drawings, is a specification, like figures on the drawings re resenting like parts.

My invention re ates to card-supports and more articularly to the ro'vision of imrove sup orting devices or the cards of a dummy and, espe'cially'in a game where two or more dumm' hands'are employed. Not only the game 0 bridge-whist, but other four-handed games as well, are frequently played by two players, each of whom in addition to the cards of his own hand plays the cards of a dummy orauxiliary hand, the cardsof the four-hands being played in the sequence they would have in the usual fourhandedgame. I

In the provlslon of a card-support for a twohanded or multiple dummy it is desirable that the cards in each dummy hand should be thoroughly exposed to the dummys partner.

while completely obscured from the vision of his opponent. It is alsodesirable that the cards should be so supported as to assist rather than confuse the'correct sequence in playthat isto say, they should preferably occupy such a sequential relation with reference to the players as would be in fact occupied by those players which the dummy cards are supposed to represent.

In carrying out my invention I have provided a dummy-card support which not only carries out these objects, but which is simpler in construction and easier to use than thoses upports heretofore employed andrequires no unusual constraint in the position which must be assumed by the two players about the table.

My invention will be best understood by reference to the following description, when taken in connection with the accompanying illustration of one specific embodiment thereof, while its sco e will be more articularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows in perspective a pair of dummy-card supports arranged in a position which they may occu y during use in a game. Fig. 2 shows an eni arged detail of one of the supports, and Fig.

cross-section in elevation showing a card-retaining finger.

Referring'to the drawi bodiment of my invention t ere illustrated, I have shown the su porting device there illustrated to consist o a pair of similar substantially solid blocks 1, each of which is provided with a substantially flat bottom face 2, upon which it may rest firmly upon the table or other support. In this position it presents a pair of upwardly-diverging card-supporting faces the shorter of which, 3, extends obliquely to the front upright face 4 of the suport, and the longer of which, 5, extends o 'quely to the rear face 6 'of the sup ort. These faces meet each other at a slightlyacute angle, so that if with the support resting upon the base the cards are dropped into the groove or ledge formed by the conver-' gence of the two card-supporting faces the backs rest lightly upon the longer face 5 and their bottoms upon the shorter face 3.

No other formation than the mere angular inclination of the card-supporting face 5 and the provision of the ledge afforded by the face 3 at the bottom thereof need be pro vided, but, if desired, there may also be employed additional means for retaining the cards against displacement. Such means, for example, are embodied in the illustrated form of my invention in the card-retaining rail 7, which extends lengthwise and directly in front of the card-retaining face 5 of the holder, but sufficiently removed therefrom, Fig. 3, to ermit the card readily to be in-. serted bac of the same in the holder.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention the retaining-rail 7 is merely struck up out of light sheet metal, being provided at its ends with inturned points 8, which are driven into or inserted within the end faces of the holder so as to be held rigidly thereon.

If desired, the retaining-rail may be provided at intervals with downturned resilient fingers 8, which are curved inwardly toward the card-supporting face to have a resilient contact therewith, so that when a card is inserted the same is retained thereby against accidental displacement.

When used for the supportof a pair of dummy hands, the cards for ea'ch dummy are placed in one of the two racks or supports by the dummy's partner. The fact that the 3 is a 1 two card-supports are separate and may be s and to the ern- 7 less in conflict in initially placing thecards v first faces. The supports being separate and moved relatively to each other greatly facilitates the placing of the cards in the support, as compared with previous dummy-card supports, where the two racks have been hel in fiXed relation facing each other and the two players have been brought more or in their respective racks.

In the present instance each player after havin picked up his dummys hand can place is rack or support directly in front-of im and there convenlentl arrange the hand. The supports are then pfaced so that each layer can see his dummy partners hand, but cannot see his opposing dummys hand. Such a condition may be supposed with reference to the supports as arranged in Fig. 1 if it be assumed that one player is facing the drawing with his opponent directly at his left, the latter looking in a direction a proximately at right angles to that in which the independent they may be shifted about and arranged in an infinite variety of relations and positions. The layers usually sit adjacent each other and at substantially right angles, but the fact that the supporting-racks are separate permits the players to-vary from this conslderably, adjusting the cardsu ports to suit their own selected positions. Where the two supporting-racks have been held in fixed relation, the players have been obliged to occupy certain definite positionsabout the table. The separability of the two supports therefore not only adds to the faci ity in initially placing the cards and handling the supports, but it materially lessens the constralnt which is laced upon the players in respect to the positions which they must occup With the holders placed as shown in the drawings, with the two sets of cards face to face while slightly offset laterally, the hands porting wal bear the roper sequence relation and the correct or er of play is easily kept upthat is to say, each player while facing his dummy hand has 'at one side of him his op onent' and at the other side his opponents ummy hand.

The solidity of the supports renders them free from the objection to which collapsible or folding su ports have been sub ect namely, the li elihood of colla sing during playing of-the hand or while t e cards are eing placed. The'supports may be made of any desired material, but are preferably of wood.

The angle of the supporting-face 5 is suflicient to retain the cards, while givin them enough pitch or elevation to concea their faces from the. player who is looking over their backs. It will be obvious,however, that by the use of a card-retainin rail or resilient finger, such as illustrated, t e pitch 4 or inclination of the supporting-face may be greatly increased.

While I have shown and described one form of my invention, it will be understood that the same is not limited to the construction, form,v or relative arrangement of parts disclosed, but that extensive modifications therein may be made Without departing from the true spirit of the invention.

I claim- A card-su port havinga base, a card-s11 sloping backward from t e ase, a rest to hold the card, and a retaining rail or wire for the sloping card-supporting wall.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY J. PHILLIPS.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR E. CARSON, THOMAS B. Boorn. 

